“So, it’s a magical process, not genetic?” Twilight asked, staring at the giant tome on the table, titled ‘Die Geschichte der Vampir,’ or ‘The History of The Vampire.’ It was in Germane, but thankfully, she was fluent, and had little trouble reading it.
“Exactly. It’s a might bit like becoming an Alicorn, except my kind don’t become royalty. We aren’t hated per say, but we aren’t loved, either. Read that paragraph, I think you’ll find it interesting,” he said, pointing at a section about two thirds down the page.
“There are six known types of Vampires; there are Siphons, which need not make contact to absorb your blood, see page thirty-six. There are Vanishers, which can disappear in the blink of an eye, see page forty-two. There are Shifters, whose shape can change in a matter of moments, see page forty-nine. The most dangerous is the Berserker, capable of leveling an entire mountain, see page fifty-four. The two final types are quite possibly the most terrifying, and it is ill advised that any hunter seek them out. Hunter?” He nodded, and pointed back at the book. “The Shadow Caster, capable of wielding the very shadows as a weapon, see page sixty-one. The final, the Devourer, is the most dreaded creature in all of Equinus. The Devourer is just that, one that devours. This type consumes all in its path, and is known to be capable of biting through, and digesting, pure diamond. The Shadow Caster… that sounds a lot like the Sombra from my dimension.”
“Makes sense, the Sombra here is one. Though, Casting is- was, a very common type of magic, save for Shadow Casting. It was not hard to control the elements. Fire, air, water, earth, light, all of them were easily tamable. The only difference is that Shadow Caster Vampires are created with that specific ability, and are typically able to control it. For a normal mage, it would take decades to master Shadow Casting. No other Casting type Vampire exists, I‘ve looked,” he said, standing up and flipping to page thirty-six. “This is my type, rather, the type that I am. A Siphon, we are unique among our race. So long is there is even the tiniest bit of a bleeding wound, we can turn the blood to mist and inhale it, and it is directly infused into our body as sustenance. In addition, if there is an open wound on our body, we can take the blood in through it, or expel our own. Some unicorn Siphons have been know to use their own blood as a weapon. I was never fond of the concept.”
“I notice it says, ‘hunter’ a lot. And it also has more about your type than the others. Why is that?” she asked, skimming a few of the stories about Siphons. Apparently, they were the most powerful type, capable of going head to head with the Alicorn… Godesses? Weeell, okay then.
“Yes, because my type are the most mysterious, and require the most details. Even this old tome does not know everything about us, nor do I, for that matter.” He stopped briefly, and stroked his mustache. “As for hunters, this was written some two-thousand years ago. This edition was printed seven-hundred ago; it was a gift from Sombra. At the time of both, most interest in my kind was directed at killing us. At one point, I even filed down my fangs, just so I wouldn’t be attacked in a town.”
“So fascinating. Sombra is a Vampire. That’s another thing, you introduced yourself as a ‘vampony,’ but the book refers to you as ‘-pire.’ Why is that?”
He chuckled at the young Alicorn, and sat on the table. “Seriously, ‘why is that?’ must be your favorite question! This tome is not referring only to ponies, but all Equinites. Goats, griffons, minotaur, even diamond dogs, they can become vampires as well. See?” he said, and flipped to a section about a Devourer ram named Grogar. “I knew him personally.”
“A friend?” Twilight asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Once upon a time, yes, but he became a threat to Sonata and her sisters. He was dealt with swiftly. Took three weeks to grow my arm back, too,” he said, holding up his right arm to show a scar going around his bicep. “That’s why this arm doesn’t have piebald on it, see it just stops right here. But you know what?” he glanced at Sonata, who blushed. “Totally. Worth. It.”
“Wait, you can regenerate entire limbs?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
“With enough blood, yes. It’s a grueling process, unless you’ve drained an entire town of unicorns. Unfortunately, that was not the case then, and I spent several nights screaming in a cave, three miles south of Canterlot,” he answered grimly, hopping off the table.
“Town… of unicorns…” she trailed off as she scanned the tome for the details. “Roma, That’s not in here.”
He hadn’t…
“I know. It wouldn’t be in there. I left none to tell the tale,” he said, scowling at the floor.
He had.
Roma… had killed an entire town? But he was so kind, so understanding. He had allowed her passage into his home, despite having only met. How could somepony like him, do something like that? She noticed that Roma had left the room, and a small grey filly sat on the table in front of her, cross legged, and staring at Twilight. She had a short, slicked back, black mane, with a streak of blue going through it. She was quite adorable, to be honest.
“Don’t worry. He didn’t mean to.”
“Mean to what?” Twilight blinked several times in confusion.
“Kill them. He was mad, and he lost control of his abilities, so he can’t be blamed. He was very young then, not even my age,” she said sweetly, her Canterlot accent enriching her speech.
“Uh…Your age?” Twilight was dumbstruck, this little filly couldn’t be more that… twelve?
“My name is Octavia Melody, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I am thirty-one years old, and I am a vampony sired by Roma the Wanderer,” she said, giving what could be considered a sitting bow.
“What type are you?” she asked bluntly, making the filly scowl.
“I’m a Vanisher. Roma thought that Vanisher would be a good type for me. I would have preferred Shadow Caster, but Roma said that a filly my size would be destroyed in a matter of years by Casting, thus making redundant his reason for siring me,” she said sharply, as she stood up and hopped off the table.
Twilight crossed her arms. “And those reasons were?” she asked.
“None of your business,” she huffed in response, and trotted off after her sire.
“Princess, if I may, they are both quite sensitive about their pasts, Roma especially,” Sonata said, leaning against the table beside her. “They have terrible memories, ones that nopony should be forced to recall.”
She was so pretty with her hair down, and her white gown accented her blue coat very well. Twilight could see why Roma had fallen for her so deeply.
Twilight sighed and hung her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was so bad.”
“I don’t think they were mad at you. If you would like a story, I can tell you mine. It’s not quite so dark,” she offered, cupping Twilight’s chin in her thumb and forefinger to lift her face to her.
“Sure, I’d like that.”
“Well, It really starts nine-hundred-thirty years ago, when my sister, Aria, betrayed…” Twilight only half listened to the siren as she told her tale, and instead found herself pondering how the others were doing.
>X<
Lyra stared in awe at the massive machine in front of her. Arms, legs, torso, it was in all essence, a giant robot, and it was amazing!
“Got anything like that in your world?” Vinyl said cockily, leaning back against the machine’s leg. Lyra had opted to explain the situation to Vinyl, if she agreed to keep it a secret. She had actually taken the news pretty well, to Lyra’s shock.
“Not outside of comic books… how long did this thing take to build?” Lyra stepped forward and laid a hand on it’s head. It’s head was at least twice her size, though it very little resembled a head. It looked more like a pod that the pilot sat it, and upon closer inspection, it was. The lift next to the walkway hummed to life and Vinyl soon stepped off and walked over next to Lyra.
“She took about six years to build. Of course, it would have never been possible without the funding and supplies from Queen Adagio. Her majesty made QueenSlayer a reality,” she said, touching her own hand to the robot’s head. She smiled at it as she would a loved one, like a son or a daughter.
“And Queen Adagio is one of the Monarchs?” Lyra asked, letting her arm fall back behind her cloak.
“Yep. I used to be her personal engineer, up until she was unable to synthesize Lady Sonata’s gems herself. She’s got some pretty nasty scars from the accident,” she explained with a faint frown.
Lyra scowled. She was tired of these ponies saying things without giving any explanation. “What happened?”
Vinyl sighed and leaned forward against the handrail. “Her lab blew up. Hundreds of artificial siren gems, lost, along with her left arm and part of her face. I saw the wounds when they were fresh. I tried building her several bionics, but she would wind up breaking it. It wasn’t natural, she’d say, and she’d rip it out and throw it at the wall. I stopped after five because each new one I made, she just got angrier. The Queen… She’s got some issues. I hated leaving her alone, but she ordered my transfer to Camp, as a sign of good will. I knew she just wanted me to make her sister’s gems.”
“Wow… I can’t imagine. And how is she doing now?” Lyra asked.
“Crazy as shit, but she’s an outstanding ruler. Her kingdom does well, despite Tirek’s rule, and I couldn‘t be more proud to have been her servant,” Vinyl answered, smiling despite herself.
“So, why did you build this thing?”
“Because no matter what Roma says, I know there’s a war coming. I built this to deal with the Phoenix Queen, Philomena. She-” she stopped as a small device buzzed on the collar of her jumpsuit, prompting her to hold up her finger and touch her other hand to her earpiece. “Yeah, okay. Well, I have a guest now. What?! You want three more?! Are you insane?! No way I can fill that, not if you want me to continue making Sonata's gems. Four days, yeah I know, but that’s a lot of… alright! Queens you are needy!”
“Everything alright?” Lyra asked as she stepped forward and put a hand on Vinyl’s shoulder.
“No. Roma wants me to synthesize a special gem, and replicate it’s enchantment. Five buckin times. The colt’s raving mad!” she said, slamming her forearm down on the handrail. “I’m just one pony… I can’t do all these things he asks of me.”
Lyra turned her new friend around and put her hands on both of Vinyl’s shoulders. “Show me how to synthesize Sonata’s gems. I’m an engineer, just like you, so it can’t be too hard for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive!” she shouted, grinning from ear to ear.
“Okay, follow me,” she said, also smiling. She grabbed Lyra’s hand and pulled her onto the lift, and then into an underground area, beneath the workshop.
>X<
Rainbow glided slowly through the air, trying not to draw much attention. Apparently, non-magical pegasi were very slow flyers, if they could fly at all. She saw a lot of them on the ground, struggling to make it through the crowded market street. She spotted the general, but decided to leave him be.
It was not long before she cleared the market place and found herself passing over a large group of wagons. That was when she saw him.
Roma was walking towards a large campfire, carrying a bunch of split logs on his shoulder. That mane, the piebald coat, it was unmistakable.
She landed quietly behind… It wasn’t Roma. It was a mare that looked like Roma. She had feathering around her hooves, a thick, luscious mane, and a muscular build, but she was still beautiful. She had elegant flanks that flowed up gently into her torso, and curved down into her legs perfectly. Her shoulders were sloped, and blended well with the rest of her, including the rather muscular arms. Unfortunately, her coat was different than his. Her coat was a light caramel, with soot covering parts of her body. Her mane, she noted, was not actually black, but also covered in soot.
“It is very rude to stare at a gypsy’s flanks, no matter what you have been told,” she said, dropping the logs and turning to face Rainbow. “Contrary to what most think, gypsy mares are not pleasure girls.” She had a somewhat slight accent, one that she could not quite place… something middle eastern. “Well, not most of us.”
“I’m sorry, that’s not why I was staring. You just remind me of someone I know,” Rainbow replied, barely managing not to stutter in surprise.
“And who might that be?” she asked, placing her hands on her flanks. There was obvious edge to her voice, reminding her to watch what she said.
“Um… Roma?” she winced as the mare shouted and clapped her hands.
Puffs of soot erupted from her as she jumped cheerfully. “Oh, Great-Uncle Roma! Please, do come and have a seat, we were just about to eat!”
Two hours later
“So Miss Rainbow, do you find our food to the liking?” a white and tan filly asked her. Her name was Luminista, and she was a stupendous cook. She had prepared for Rainbow a smoked cabbage, with herd spices and some strange powder that made it really spicy.
“Totally! It’s like, a fire dancing in my mouth!” she said happily, before biting into her cabbage, which had been skewered for easier consumption. The gypsies had welcomed her whole heartedly, despite her differences. She had explained to the mare she had met- Dahlia- that she wasn’t friends with Roma, rather, she was a soldier for one of his allies. Which was completely true, by the way. Wonderbolts were soldiers, and Princess Twilight had allied herself with Roma. Still, Dahlia had introduced her to the ‘troupe’ and they had welcomed her.
“Miss Rainbow, how does a mare as pretty as you become a soldier?” another mare asked, sitting cross-legged in front of her. Her name was Brazil, and she had a goldish white coat, like a partially-roasted marshmallow.
“Well, first off, thank you for the compliment, and second: I’m a member of the Wonderbolts, an elite team of flyers under service to the princess. I’m the best of the best flyers in Equestria,” she said, pointing a thumb at her chest.
“Where’s Equestria?” Luminista chimed in, leaning in excitedly.
“It’s uh, like a whole other world. You have to go through a magic portal to get there. It’s so different in fact, that we still have magic,” she explained, never once lying to them. AJ would be very proud.
“Even the unicorns?” Dahlia asked, returning from their water reservoir with a pitcher.
“Even the unicorns. My friend Rarity, she uses magic to make clothes. And dig this, she’s married to a dragon! And he‘s a sword master, at that!” She exclaimed as Dahlia handed her a small metal cup, and poured some water in it. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome. I have a particularly forward question for you, Miss Rainbow,” she said, putting the pitcher down, and sitting beside her. “If you are truly a soldier, then where is your uniform?”
“It got torn coming through the portal, so Rarity is fixing it for me,” he explained, sipping her water carefully. She didn’t know how much these ponies actually had, so she didn’t want to be greedy. “Why do you ask?”
“Because that is an Equinus-made Firearm in pants. My friend, Prominence, owns the company,” she said, pouring herself a cup of water. “Also, I saw those clothes earlier today in the market. I wanted to make sure that you were no thief.”
“The gun was a gift from General Biceps, as were the clothes. He’s so nice…” Rainbow found herself blushing, in spite of her efforts to hide it.
“Ooooh, Miss Rainbow likes the General!” Brazil said, covering her mouth and giving a ‘hohoho’ kind of laugh.
“Maybe I do think he’s kind of handsome… but I wouldn’t want to date him or anything. He’s just, not my type of stallion, that’s all,” she said, fidgeting with her cup’s handle.
“What do you mean, type?” Luminista asked, tilting her head to the side.
Rainbow stood up and hopped back onto the logs she was on. “You know, the kind of stallion you would want to be with… Me, I like somepony I can fly with, we can hold hands and soar across the twilit clouds, and all kinds of fun stuff in the air,” she said, spreading her arms and twirling, like she was pretending to fly.
“Well, I hope you find someone like that, Miss Rainbow. I only wish that we could have such free choice,” Brazil said, nearly muttering the last part.
“Wait, why can’t you choose?” Rainbow asked, stopping mid twirl, and promptly losing her balance, falling back behind the log. “Is it like, an arranged marriage kind of thing?”
“Perhaps, I can explain it better,” Dahlia stated, her earlier joy completely emptied from her voice. “You see, we do not arrange marriages, but we are not quite so free as you are. In our culture, it is forbidden for a mare to romantically approach a stallion; he must come to her. We are free to choose not to be with him, but that is the extent of it. Most gypsy mares choose the first stallion that comes their way, and they are promptly married. They do this for fear of ending up as I have, a tired old work mare, far past her prime.”
“Old? No way you’re any older than me. Come on, give me a number,” Rainbow coaxed, putting a delicate hand on Dahlia’s shoulder.
“Twenty-three,” she deadpanned, staring at the blue mare coldly. “I am twenty-three, and I am too old to marry anymore. As such, I resigned myself to becoming a worker for the troupe.”
“That’s… I’m thirty-two. How young do you typically marry?” she asked hesitantly, really not wanting to hear the answer.
“Around fourteen,” she whispered, hugging her chest tightly, and gazing at her knees. All the other mares had left, and gone about their business. “You must think it is rather disgusting, putting such a young one into that kind of situation.”
“It wouldn’t fly where I’m from, but hey, a fillyfooler’s got no right to judge,” she said, giving Dahlia a pat on the back. “Hell, I almost ran away from home with a filly named Surprise when I was twelve.”
“Fillyfooler…you mean, a lesbian?” Dahlia’s eyes widened in shock, and a hand flew up to cover her mouth. “I… can’t imagine, being in love with a mare.”
“Well, it’s not exactly that common where I’m from,” she paused for a moment, thinking. “Actually, the city I’m from is pretty uptight, real strict on marriage laws and stuff. No rights for gay couples.”
“That’s awful. Why would anypony deny rights to another, simply because of their sexuality?”
“Ponies fear what they don’t understand, and that fear turns to hate.” Rainbow stopped and sighed. ‘It’s not as common as it used to be, since the princess came to power. She helped spread harmony throughout Equestria, and eventually, ponies became a little more tolerant.”
“She sounds wonderful,” Dahlia said through a sigh.
“She is,” Rainbow said just as softly, then Dahlia did something she never expected. She leaned in against Rainbow’s shoulder, and nestled her head against it. “Uh… Dahlia?”
“Yes?”
“Is this one of those gypsy things I probably won’t understand?” she asked, her face turning redder by the second.
“No, Miss Rainbow, I just find myself liking you,” she answered, prompting Rainbow to put a hesitant arm around the light mare’s shoulders. “I wish I were a Pegasus.”
“Why?”
“Because flight is the ultimate freedom. If I could fly, I would not be here. I would be somewhere across the continent, soaring through the clouds, feeling the wind in my face.” she explained, smiling broadly. “I could find a lover, and we would enjoy the sky together and-”
“Come fly with me.” Rainbow cut her off, and pulled away so she could look the gypsy in the eye. “I’ll take you flying. I’ll carry you. Let’s go, right now.”
“Are you sure? It’s dark, and I’m not sure if you can lift me…” her breath grew ragged and her shoulders shook at the very prospect.
“How much do you weigh?” she asked, pulling her belt off.
“Around one-hundred-ninety pounds, why?” her face went beet red as rainbow grabbed her arm, and tied it to her own with the cloth belt. There was about two feet of slack between the two.
“I’ve flown two-hundred pound pegasi to a hospital, without breaking a sweat.” she said confidently, and hoisted Dahlia into her arms. “I think I can handle you.”
>X<
“Shy, LOOK! They have ponyental clothes!” Pinkie hollered, and dragged her wife over to a stand occupied by a pale green unicorn. “How much for these, sir?”
“Twenty bits for the dresses, ten for pants, and twelve for shirts,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Oh Dear, what about you? You need clothes too,” Fluttershy said quietly, fiddling with her mane.
“Don’t worry babe, we got plenty. See?” she said, holding out the bag for Fluttershy.
“Oh, ok. I want these four,” she pointed out a red quipao, a blue cheongsam, and a red halter top and embroidered jeans.
Pinkie wasn’t listening. Her attention had fallen on a long black coat in the back. She handed her companion the bag of bits and stepped closer to the stand. “I want to see that.”
“It’s 90 bits,” he said with a grin.
“Shy. Is there enough?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the garment.
“Yes, plenty. We still have three-hundred or so left,” she replied, giving Pinkie a cautious look.
“Give it to me. I want to try it on.” He chuckled and brought the coat forward, and passed it over the counter to her. It looked like it had been painstakingly crafted by hand, with stunning attention to detail. It was wool, and had two front pockets, with slanted openings, and one on the inner left side. It was single breasted, with a mandarin collar, that would easily cover most of her neck, and it wasn’t that long, probably coming down just past her knees. The sleeves were tapered with a zipper expansion. The back was the most beautiful part, though. It had embroidered in black, two long wings, folded against the wearer gracefully, with a few feathers gently falling away. She slipped the masterpiece on, letting it gently embrace her curves, fill every nook and cranny. It was tight against her sizable chest, but not stifling, and the sleeves were perfect for her strong arms. It covered her body almost completely, save for her hands, face, and hooves.
“Well, how does it feel?” the clerk asked, rubbing his hands nervously.
“Perfect. Why is it so cheap? Rarity would charge out the plot for something like this,” she asked, smiling at the stallion.
“Because it’s cursed. That monstrous coat, The Cloak of Internal Strife, finds whoever’s in turmoil, and it makes them want it. You must be going through some tough shit, if that thing wants you, though,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I'm sorry, but you're both going to hate me in a few minutes...”
Pinkie glared at the pony, feeling her coat bristle. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Damned thing just creeps me out. You know what, take it. I don’t feel right taking your money for it. Just, go. Get away from my kiosk,” he said, putting a hand on his forehead. He seemed genuinely anxious to be rid of the thing, Pinkie thought.
“Fine. Shy, grab your clothes and lets scram.” She turned to leave, but suddenly found herself somewhere completely foreign to her. She stood on top of some kind of tower, in the middle of some massive, industrial city. The cloak. It must’ve done it. She could feel it, the raw magic coursing through every stitch of fabric. The vile thing, it had ripped her away from Fluttershy. Pinkie grabbed the buttons and pulled at them as hard as she could, trying to get them undone. They wouldn’t budge. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself, “Okay, Pinkie, focus.”
She focused hard on where she wanted to be. When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing on the sidewalk, some hundreds of feet from where she was before. That stupid stallion obviously didn’t know what he had on his hands. There was a filly standing not far from her, staring wide eyed at her, tears beginning to form in he eyes. “M-magic…”
Pinkie raised her finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. “It’s a secret, okay?” The filly nodded.
Alright, Pinkie thought, where the hell am I?
>X<
Fluttershy stared at the spot her lover had just been. Horror began to flood her mind, heart, and soul as she realized what had happened. She was gone. Her wife, lover, best friend, her WORLD was gone.
“Where did she go?” she whispered, tears beginning to stream down her face.
“I don’t know. That coat takes you wherever you need to go to heal,” The stallion said, massaging his forehead. “I’m sorry, but if that coat has her, she needed to go where she is.”
“LIAR! Where is my wife?!” she screamed, turning and grabbing the clerks collar and pulling him close. “You tell me where she is, or I will end you.”
“I told you, I don’t know! Please… I had my turn with the coat, and before me it was Pegasus named Nimbus, and before that it was Roma!” His expression softened a bit, and he gingerly removed the yellow mare’s hands from his collar. “Look, we all needed it to heal our scars… now your wife needs it, so let her heal.”
“If she isn’t back in three days, I’m coming for you,” she growled, and threw him back against the wall.
The made her way through all the ponies that had gathered to stare at her going ballistic, trying to make herself calm down. She hadn’t been angry like that for a very long time… not since she had met Iron Will…
She hoped Pinkie would be okay.
>X<
“At it girl Applejack! One hoof in front of the other. You’re walking like a pro now!” Redheart said, clapping as AJ trudged across the small room.
“Damn it Red, ya ain’t gotta talk to me like a foal. Ah appreciate all this help, but buck, if you keep talking to me like that, Ah’m gonna snap,” she said, glaring at the gentle nurse, who frowned at her language.
“AJ. I told you about that mouth of yours. I don’t like foul language, so watch it, or I’ll snap, got it sugarcube?” she said, giving a razor’s edge to her words. The nurse was sweet, but she could be vicious if she needed to be, and lately, she had been needing to a lot. “There are foals in this facility, and I’ll not have their ears corrupted by such foulness.”
“Yes, uh, ma’am,” was all she could say. It had been two hours since they had started, and Applejack was getting to be a bit nervous around the pale medic. There was a lot she didn’t know bout Redheart, and that worried the farmer. What if the mare was a spy from Roma? She’d said the fella had sent her a message, so it was possible.
“AJ, I think you’ve got the hang of walking, so why don’t we go get something to eat? You must be exhausted and starving,” she said, and stood to head towards the door.
“Say, Red?” Applejack said, scratching her shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Why are ya’ll helpin me? Ah ain’t done nothing but make yah mad, and you’re still so nice to me,” she asked, and immediately regretted it.
Redheart slowly unbuttoned her top, and let in fall around her shoulders. Her back, and likely her front, were covered in nasty burns, so bad that most of them caused a massive indention in her skin. “When I was seven years old, I ran up to Queen Philomena, wanting her autograph. She is a beautiful Queen, but a ruthless and vicious one. The townsponies had been ordered to bow and allow her passage through the street, and I disobeyed. I was arrested, and my family killed. I was thrown in the dungeon, and tortured for two years before I was rescued by a brave pony named Granny Smith, though she was probably about twenty, to be honest. She tended my wounds and gave me a dune buggy, and pointed me to Camp. I have been here since I was nine, when Roma took me in, and gave me a new home. I met Doctor, and he taught me about medicine, and I decided I wanted to help ponies with that knowledge. See, AJ, Roma leads by example. By showing kindness to others, he has taught us to be kind as well, and we will continue to pass that lesson down through the generations. I’m helping you, because it’s what he would do.” She finished her little speech, and covered herself back up. AJ could only stare at the nurse.
“Ah’m sorry. What ever happened to Granny Smith?”
“Killed in one of Tirek’s conquests, two years after my rescue. Why do you ask?” The nurse turned back to her, cocking her head sideways.
“Because in my world, she’s my grandmother.” The autumn colored pony hung her head in sadness. “That means, Ah don’t exist here.”
“I’m so sorry.” The nurse fidgeted with the last few open buttons on her shirt, unsure of what to say. AJ now seemed like a different pony to her. Rather than the crass country mare, she now looked like she was ready to cry. What had happened to her Granny Smith?
“Four years ago. She passed of old age. A nice, peaceful death. It was the kind she deserved, after everything she did for us. It didn’t matter to mah lil’ sister, though. Granny was gone, and poor gal was devastated. Ah think she’s okay now, but it took it’s toll on all of us.” a few tears escaped from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “Let’s go get some eats.”
“…Right.”